Mbappé defends Lamine Yamal's privacy: "He's a great player, we should leave him alone"

The 'Movistar+' channel will present this Sunday the interview of Kylian Mbappé on the program 'Universo Valdano' hosted by the former Argentine player and coach Jorge Valdano. In a preview of the conversation, the Real Madrid '10' was candid about his opinion of Lamine Yamal.

In his second season in Spain, 'Kiki' already has a much clearer idea of the enormous talent of FC Barcelona's '10', whom he has suffered against in the four Clásicos of the 24/25 season (the player from Mataró scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists) and with France in the European Championship and the Nations League (the Catalan winger was a key figure in both of La Roja's victories).

Despite the rivalry between Barça and Real Madrid, Mbappé did not hesitate to praise the Spanish 'crack'. Furthermore, he defended him from media harassment regarding his private life, something that should not, by any means, overshadow what the Barça youth player does on the field.

Mbappé is clear: Lamine should continue growing in his own way

"You can see that he has a lot of passion for football and that's the only thing he can't lose. The rest is his personal life," began the Real Madrid forward, Pichichi of the last League (31) and top scorer in the current campaign with 9 goals.

In that sense, Bondy's father added: "Lamine needs to be left alone. In football, he's a great player, but in life, he's an 18-year-old kid. At that age, everyone makes mistakes. You do things right, things wrong..."

Lamine Yamal during the Barça-PSG Champions League match.

Yamal has had a complex start to the 25/26 season due to pubalgia that has prevented him from playing in 5 of Barça's last 7 matches. Off the field, the controversy over his birthday party is now behind him, but there is much talk about his romantic relationship with the Argentinian singer Nicki Nicole.

Beyond this, Kylian Mbappé believes that Lamine will be able to continue evolving on and off the field in the best way. The club must protect him, but also his environment in general.

"In the end, he's going to have his life experience. He'll know what's good for him... You just have to look at what he does on the field. What he does off it isn't important, unless it's serious. He has great talent and will make the path he wants. I wish him the best of luck," the French forward pointed out.

The Clásico on October 26: First Lamine vs. Mbappé Duel with the No. 10

The match on October 26 will be the first Clásico of the 25/26 season at the Santiago Bernabéu and, also, the first time that Lamine and Mbappé will face each other wearing the number '10' on their teams' backs.

The Rocafonda native wore the '19' in his second full season with the Barça first team (Ansu Fati wore the '10' in 24/25). 'Kiki', meanwhile, arrived in Spain to wear the '9' in his debut season, as the '10' had been held by Luka Modric since 2017.

For Lamine, the big challenge is to reach peak physical condition for the clash against Real Madrid, while the player from Bondy seeks to prolong his good form with 'Los Blancos'. In the first eight matchdays of La Liga, the Frenchman has taken advantage of a couple of penalties to move away in the lead for the tournament's top scorer. Lamine, on the other hand, scored a couple of goals in the first three games before getting injured.

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